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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010305">When Paulownias Bloom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icelette/pseuds/Icelette'>Icelette</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい | Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teachers, M/M, Secret Identity, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:07:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icelette/pseuds/Icelette</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: Teacher AU. Kurosawa and Adachi are both teachers in the same school. Kurosawa is the most popular teacher but is crushing on the cute art teacher.</p><p>Many thanks to modorenai for beta-ing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adachi Kiyoshi/Kurosawa Yuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>CheriMaho White Day Gift Exchange 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Cherry Blossoms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jun00IX/gifts">Jun00IX</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kurosawa Yuuichi was still a new teacher at the school when he first met Adachi Kiyoshi.</p><p>At thirty, he had recently gone through his third transfer, which had him posted to Toyokawa High School. The first few weeks had gone relatively smoothly, with his looks boosting his reputation almost as soon as he stepped through the gates on the first day. Nevertheless, his students were still sufficiently respectful of the teacher-student boundaries during class, even if his colleagues kept inviting him out for drinks.</p><p>This week was different, however. Yuuichi was on closing-up duty for the week, which meant he and another female teacher, Takano-sensei, were in charge of locking up all the classrooms and making sure there were no students (or other staff) still on campus before they closed the gates for the night. Urabe-sensei had gone with them on Monday night, the first night, showing them which keys to use and taking him to the parts of the school he would otherwise never go.</p><p>Tonight was Tuesday night. Yuuichi was now alone, having split up from Takano-sensei—each of them was in charge of checking one half of the school. He was by no means afraid of the dark, but he still sincerely hoped no one would be hiding around for him to discover. Urabe-sensei had warned him that some students tended to lose track of time when working on projects. “You either chase them out, or if you’re willing, you can stay until they’re done. I recommend making them contact their parents in the latter case, though. And try to avoid staying behind alone with students of the opposite sex if the other on-duty teacher isn’t willing.”</p><p>So far, Yuuichi had found no stragglers. He supposed there were no urgent projects that early on in the semester that required staying behind for so long after school hours.</p><p>Oops. He might have thought that too soon.</p><p>As Yuuichi ascended the stairs to the third floor, he spotted one of the classroom lights still on. This was an area of the school he rarely went to. As a (new) math teacher, he hadn’t yet any occasion to visit the third floor art wing. A quick glance at the classroom tag told him that this was art studio 7. He then looked in through the corridor window, but could see no one inside.</p><p>“Did someone forget to switch off the lights before they left?” Yuuichi opened the door, found the light switch, and switched it off.</p><p>“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!” A voice screamed.</p><p>“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” Yuuichi joined in the scream, his fingers quickly flipping the switch on again.</p><p>Where there was no one in sight before, a figure now stood behind the canvas. Male, young, maybe around Yuuichi’s age, messy hair, white t-shirt.</p><p>“I’m sorry! I should’ve checked if anyone was in here before…”</p><p>“No!! It’s my fault! I must’ve lost track of time again. I... I’ll pack up real quick, just, give me five minutes!”</p><p>“It’s fine, take your time! Can I help?”</p><p>“Uhhh… You don’t have to, I’ll be fine. I just need to wash these brushes and the palette. You can go ahead and lock up the rest of the floor first. I’ll be done by the time you come back and then you can lock up the studio.”</p><p>Yuuichi was hesitant.</p><p>“Umm…”</p><p>“It’s okay, that’s what we usually do anyway… I really should stop ignoring the bell… Hold on. You’re… I’ve never seen you before. Are you new?” The man stopped in the middle of his frantic packing up, and looked at Yuuichi as though processing his unfamiliarity for the first time.</p><p>“Yeah, I just transferred here at the start of this year. Kurosawa Yuuichi. I teach mathematics.”</p><p>“A- Adachi Kiyoshi. I’m an adjunct faculty with the art department. I teach art history.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you.”</p><p>“Likewise…”</p><p>“You sure you don’t want any help?”</p><p>“Yeah I’ll be real quick. Gone before you know it.” Adachi-sensei smiled nervously and began packing up again.</p><p>“Okay, I’ll lock up the rest of the building first.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>Yuuichi left the studio and went ahead to lock up the other classrooms. All the while, he was processing the encounter that had transpired.</p><p>Adachi-sensei was adjunct faculty. No wonder Yuuichi had never seen him before, not at morning assembly or in the staff room. In fact, now that he thought about it, he’d never seen a member of the adjunct faculty before. He’d heard about them—Toyokawa was well known for producing artists, and they had a dedicated art specialization. When he’d first joined, his supervisor had given him a brief introduction to the school’s organizational structure, and mentioned that they employed professional artists to teach art, even the theory classes. Perhaps Adachi-sensei’s specialization was in painting.</p><p>By the time Yuuichi had finished locking up the topmost floor and returned to check on studio 7, the lights inside were already out. He entered the room and, learning from his past mistake, circled around behind all the canvases to make sure nobody was hiding in the room.</p><p>Yuuichi made his way to the front of the studio, behind the canvas that Adachi-sensei had been working on. While not a connoisseur of painting by far, Yuuichi had more than a little interest in art. He had attended his fair share of art exhibitions, but had never heard of a painter by the name Adachi Kiyoshi. As such, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little curious as to what kind of works the man was capable of producing, that a nameless artist such as him could get a place as a teacher in <em>the</em> Toyokawa High.</p><p>What greeted him, however, was an empty canvas.</p><p>Perhaps Adachi-sensei had already taken his work home, and replaced it with a fresh canvas, then. Yuuichi resolved to ask to see his work, the next time they met.</p>
<hr/><p>That said, Yuuichi hadn’t expected to see Adachi-sensei again so soon, not after his week of closing-up duty. In fact, he hadn’t come across the art history teacher again after that Tuesday, and their paths crossed about as frequently as they did before that meeting—that is to say, not at all.</p><p>That was why, when Yuuichi reached the door to the rooftop, he was surprised that 1) it was unlocked, and 2) when he opened it, he found Adachi-sensei sitting there, sketchbook in hand.</p><p>“Adachi-sensei?”</p><p>“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!”</p><p>“Sorry!” Yuuichi apologized on reflex. At least he didn’t start screaming along again.</p><p>“Sorry,” he said again, after the screaming had stopped.</p><p>“N- no, I should apologize. I uh… keep overreacting.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei watched Yuuichi as he walked over. “Mind if I join you? I’ll be quiet. It’s just that my usual lunch spot is a bit… popular today.”</p><p>“Uh… Sure.” Then, after a while, he asked, “Where do you usually eat?”</p><p>“By the paulownia tree.”</p><p>“Ah, I heard Kokonoe-sensei, the painting teacher, has brought the first-years there to sketch the flowers while they’re in bloom. They’ll be done by this week, I think, and you can still have a few more weeks to enjoy the flowers while having lunch.”</p><p>“It’s fine, I got to see you again as a result.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei might have blushed, but Yuuichi wasn’t sure he hadn’t just imagined it.</p><p>“Why would you want to see me again…? I’m… not interesting.”</p><p>Yuuichi frowned. “You’re a painter, right? I like paintings. I’m sure we’ll have much to talk about.”</p><p>At that, Adachi-sensei smiled a little. Yuuichi found himself thinking, <em>cute</em>. Then, realizing that he might have been staring a little too long for it to be socially appropriate, he unwrapped his lunch box.</p><p>“Have you had lunch?” He asked Adachi-sensei.</p><p>“Yeah, I had a couple of rice balls just now. I’m just here to sketch.” Adachi-sensei raised his sketchbook, as though in explanation.</p><p>Yuuichi looked at the drawings on the page. “I thought you were a painter?”</p><p>“I was, but I... don’t paint anymore.”</p><p>Yuuichi sensed there was a story behind those words, but seeing as an explanation didn’t seem to be forthcoming, he decided not to pry.</p><p>The pair was silent for a long while, as Yuuichi ate his lunch and Adachi-sensei concentrated on his sketching. Just as Yuuichi made to leave after finishing his food, Adachi-sensei spoke again.</p><p>“You said you liked paintings, right?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“What kind of paintings?”</p><p>Yuuichi beamed. “I like all kinds of paintings, really, but I am extremely partial to modern art. My favorite painter is Tousei Ryuunosuke, I’m sure you’ve heard of him?”</p><p>“Tousei… huh…”</p><p>“Yep! I used to go to all of his exhibitions, though the last one was already three years ago…”</p><p>Adachi-sensei looked down at his sketchbook. “Is that so?”</p><p>“Yeah! His paintings are very pure, in a sense. No hesitation in his brushstrokes, and they always fill me with a sense of hope. He’s my idol, in a way, even though I can’t strive to become like him because I can’t paint. Do you have someone like that, Adachi-sensei?”</p><p>“Hmm…” Adachi-sensei thought for a while. “Rokkaku, maybe. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of him. Rokkaku Yuuta.” Yuuichi shook his head. “That’s fine. He’s a performance artist. Not really my field, I know, but I admire his straightforwardness and perseverance.”</p><p>“Sounds like a fine role model. I must check out his works then, if you’re recommending him so highly.”</p><p>“You really should. He’s new, but he’s unwavering about his art. I don’t see him quitting like Tousei.” Adachi-sensei’s tone was bitter. Yuuichi got a sense that he was not a great fan of Tousei’s, but was just too polite to say so in front of a fan.</p><p>Still, Yuuichi had to jump to his idol’s defence. “I’m not sure I would say Tousei has quit. Or rather, I don’t believe that an artist like Tousei, whose works convey so much of his love for painting, would ever quit painting. He might not be holding exhibitions, or releasing anything publicly, but someone like that doesn’t just leave the world of art behind.”</p><p>“But what if he never returns to the art industry?”</p><p>“Then, I hope that he’s happy doing whatever he’s doing.”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Irises</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“... and the assignment’s due on the fifteenth of June,” Yuuichi finished up his instructions, just before the bell rang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Voices of protest immediately rose from one corner of the classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sensei, can you please extend the deadline by a week, please??”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah we won’t have time!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Noooooo!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi raised his arms before him, restoring order. When the voices quietened down, he asked, “Is there a reason so many of you are protesting this deadline? Yes, Minase-kun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minase-kun, usually one of Yuuichi’s more obedient students, had surprised him by how loud his complaining was this time. The boy replied, “Sorry, Kurosawa-sensei, the deadline for the Spring Art Competition is on the fifteenth too, and most of us are looking to submit works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi hummed. “Weren’t the competition details announced beforehand? There are only two weeks left, so I wouldn’t have thought you all were waiting for the last two weeks to rush out your submissions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but we-” Yuuichi turned to give the speaker, Nanami-san, a stern look. “Sorry, Kurosawa-sensei, may I speak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you may.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nanami-san continued, “This year the competition schedule is different. We had to sign up first, then pass the preliminary round, before the final round. They’d only just let us know the assignment yesterday!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was news to Yuuichi, but he hadn’t really been paying attention to the details of the art competition. They had announced it at the start of the school year, it seemed, but Yuuichi had been so overwhelmed at his first assembly that details irrelevant to him had just gone right over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’ll postpone the deadline to the twenty-second...” Cheers erupted in the classroom, and Yuuichi had to speak over them to be heard, “but only for those who are participating in the competition! Everyone else, fifteenth. Minase-kun, please compile a list of students who are submitting works to the final round and email it to me by tomorrow. Class dismissed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi left the half-cheering, half-groaning classroom behind, smiling to himself. Teaching in a school with art students was challenging, but fun. His students were a lot more vocal than he was used to, and sometimes even openly questioned the need to learn math in school (something about how algebra had no applicability in real life?). On the other hand, they were very eager to learn more and discover why it was inherently fun despite its so-called inapplicability. If there was one thing that bugged Yuuichi, it was whether he himself had the ability to help them find that out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Yuuichi returned to the staffroom, he found some teachers gathered in the pantry area, discussing the competition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei, who do you think will win this year?” Urabe-sensei ambushed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh?” Yuuichi was dumbfounded. “I haven’t had a chance to see the students’ work before, so I couldn’t say…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I reckon,” Urabe-sensei continued as though he hadn’t heard him, “that it would be the third-year Kawashima again. He won last year’s competition. Kurosawa-sensei, you like paintings, right? You should go check out his painting. I’m sure you’ll agree with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi considered it, but realized he didn’t know where to find it. “Where can I see it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Urabe-sensei looked at him, shocked. “You mean you haven’t seen our Wall of Fame?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Wall of Fame’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! It’s where the school puts up all the amazing artworks created by students! Well, those that can be framed and put up, anyway. We’ve got a lot of talented students passing through these halls, so we gather some of their works to adorn our walls. Not that we need a wall to attract new students, but parents who aren’t familiar with the art scene sometimes see the works up there during opening days and decide ‘This is the kind of education I want to give my child,’ and you’ll never know if their kid could turn out to be the next Hokusai.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see… So, where can I find this wall?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s in the art wing, of course. Third floor corridor, beside the sculpture studios. Ironic, really, given that the sculpture students never get anything put up there. Their works decorate other parts of the school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is ironic,” Yuuichi responded non-committedly.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei? What are you doing in the art wing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi turned toward the voice to see Adachi-sensei, struggling with what appeared to be a pile of sketchbooks. The math teacher hurried over and took half of the books from his load.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the tower of sketchbooks was no longer in any danger of collapse, Yuuichi replied to the question. “I’m here to check out the so-called Wall of Fame that Urabe-sensei told me about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two men turned to look at the adjacent wall, where countless artworks from the school’s long history hung. Many of the artworks were winning works from previous in-school competitions, but there were some that were alumni contributions, submitted after the graduate had made a name for themselves and sought to express their gratitude to their alma mater.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love looking at this wall,” Adachi-sensei confessed quietly. “I don’t usually look at others’ artworks, but I’ve taught all the students whose paintings are up here, at least from seven years ago, so I don’t feel like I’m looking at artworks, but memories.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi’s gaze swept over the works on the wall. He could not comprehend what Adachi-sensei felt, for his own approach to appreciating art was different. Nevertheless, he had a feeling he would be returning to this wall more than a few times in the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost unbelievable now, how he had completely missed this expansive space full of artworks during his week of lockup duty. He must have been too focused on finding humans to properly catalog the other objects in the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, one of the names on the wall caught his attention. “Adachi-sensei, is this yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The label on the wall read, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adachi Kiyoshi, Class 1C, 2007 Spring Art Competition Champion</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahaha…” Adachi-sensei blushed and avoided his eyes. “I guess you would’ve seen that eventually…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a desire to tease. He turned back to the wall to take a closer look at the painting, all the while grinning. “Oho, what’s there to be embarrassed about? I’m sure it’s a beautiful art-...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beautiful was at once too accurate, yet too insufficient of a term to describe the work before him. It was far from the polished pieces produced by professional artists, like Tousei, but Yuuichi was more of an emotional appreciator of art.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And this work? It </span>
  <em>
    <span>moved</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. It made him feel the kind of hope that he’d never felt from works other than Tousei’s. This work was a completely different style than Tousei’s, but Yuuichi fell in love with the artist nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The artist, who was standing right beside him, waiting nervously for him to finish his sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I know it’s not great, I was in my first year then… I promise I paint better now, I mean, I’d have to, after spending three years here, but you don’t have to force yourself to look at it… I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m in love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The artwork, I mean. I’m in love with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two shared bouts of nervous laughter, each producing them for different reasons. Adachi’s heart was pounding from what he had thought was a sudden confession, then from the validation. That was, of course, unbeknownst to Kurosawa, whose head was filled with mortifying thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Adachi-sensei spoke up after a while, “thanks for the validation, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re very welcome. I would love to see more of your works, if given the chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Perhaps one day, I can show you some of my other past works.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Hydrangeas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Summer festival: one of the busiest times of the year, barring exam season, both for the teachers and the students. Yuuichi was informed, as a new teacher, that summer festival at Toyokawa was a student-run event, and teachers could walk around campus to offer help, if they wished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Urabe-sensei, who sat next to Yuuichi, had chipped in just as he was being briefed, “Kurosawa-sensei, you like art, right? You should go help out in the art wing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite Yuuichi’s protests that no, he did not </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> art, he only liked </span>
  <em>
    <span>looking at </span>
  </em>
  <span>art, Urabe-sensei was adamant. That was how the math teacher found himself climbing the stairs to the third floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he even reached, however, he was spotted by a couple of his students, who excitedly asked, “Kurosawa-sensei! Are you here to help out with decorations?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Urabe-sensei told me to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay!! Come on, we’re just getting started on painting the sign. The sculpture people </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> finished putting it together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi followed his student, who led him down the third floor corridor, past the art studios, down the other flight of stairs that led out to the courtyard. The normally grassy area was covered with blue tarp, and there were already students working on the signage that was lying on its side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys! Look who we found!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Several students looked in Yuuichi’s direction, and then they all abandoned their work to crowd around him, exclaiming, “Kurosawa-sensei!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah, calm down, I’m not going anywhere. That said, I doubt I could be of much help. Urabe-sensei didn’t seem to understand that enjoying art is not equal to being actually useful with a brush.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The students did not back down. “That’s alright, there’s plenty of us who can do the brush-work. We could use some help mixing paints.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t that also involve brushes?” Yuuichi raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but it also involves proportions. You’re a math teacher, surely no one here is more suited to doing measurements than you.” Most of the students were third-years. No wonder they were so bold with their words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi chuckled. “Alright then, but you’ll have to give me the measurements first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay! You guys can go back to work first, I’ll show Kurosawa-sensei the way.” Yuuichi recognized the voice as Nanami-san. He hadn’t noticed her there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few grumbles of protests were heard, most of them disappointed that they missed the chance to spend time with Yuuichi. Yuuichi himself could barely stop himself from grinning at his students’ shenanigans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nanami-san led him away from the signs and round the corner of the building. Yuuichi followed her around the corner to see Adachi-sensei in the middle of a few buckets and palettes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei! I brought help!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nanami-san! Good timing!” Adachi-sensei exclaimed, then squeaked, “Kurosawa-sensei!” when he saw Yuuichi come into view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nanami-san! What is Kurosawa-sensei doing here? I hope you didn’t disturb him while at work!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nanami-san pouted. “Of course not, Adachi-sensei! Kurosawa-sensei offered to help, but he didn’t want to paint, so I thought he could help you mix paints!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei looked at Yuuichi and, seeing the math teacher nod in confirmation, let out a sigh. “Alright then. I was just about to send for help anyway. You can go back now, and come back if you run out of any colors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi watched as Nanami-san skipped away with a cheerful, “Gotcha, sensei~” before turning back to Adachi-sensei. “So, how can I help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei took a long look at him, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. Yuuichi almost wondered if he was being checked out, or being judged. Was he wearing something weird today? He glanced down self-consciously to see he was just wearing his usual three-piece suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nope," Adachi-sensei finally said, "we need to get you an apron. Wait for me here, I’ll go find you an extra one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The art history teacher then disappeared before Yuuichi could even say another word. When he reappeared, it was with a plain, light blue apron. "Here, we wouldn’t want to get your clothes dirty."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi accepted the offered article with thanks, then noted that Adachi-sensei wasn’t wearing an apron himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, these are my working clothes. They’re supposed to get dirty. Besides, after a while the colors that come on become their own works of art." He held out his arms and did a spin, as though showing off the latest designer’s gown at a boutique.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi, having finished putting on his apron, nodded and hummed in approval like he was an industry professional appraising the work. "Not bad, not bad. I see potential."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Adachi-sensei did a little curtsey. "Now then, shall we get to work?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, sensei," Yuuichi gestured toward the paints. Adachi-sensei laughed, and then proceeded to show him the paints he was to mix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way," Adachi-sensei said after Yuuichi had gotten the hang of things and could afford to chat, "Sorry about my unruly students. The summer festival is fully planned and executed by the students, so we teachers are normally at their disposal during the preparations. It takes a bit of getting used to, not being the one giving instructions for once.” Yuuichi, however, noticed he was smiling while working.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei seems to be enjoying it, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s smile grew brighter. “Well, it’s not everyday that you get to work side-by-side with the students on a large project. It brings me back to when I was a student here, myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi nodded. “I wonder what Adachi-sensei was like, as a student.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you would’ve hated me for sure. Math was my worst subject. I failed my way through high school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heh... I wouldn’t have known.” Yuuichi raised both eyebrows, slightly surprised. “But aren’t you underestimating me a little?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doubting that I have the patience for my students who aren’t performing as well! That’s an insult to my character as a teacher!” Yuuichi put on an offended look for emphasis, which just made Adachi-sensei laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was really terrible, okay? You’re doubting my terribleness, and that’s an insult to my integrity,” Adachi-sensei retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both men dissolved into laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of their conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Man, I want to see more of Adachi-sensei laughing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Yuuichi found himself thinking. He had felt like the art history teacher was holding back part of himself during their previous interactions, but it seemed as though he was warming up to Yuuichi now, which made his carefree expressions now all the more charming. What a pity they hardly saw each other on campus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps that didn’t have to be the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thus, for the duration of the summer festival preparations, Yuuichi returned to the art wing everyday. He got to see Adachi-sensei paint for the first time ever, and he could see that the man clearly knew what he was doing. In fact, Adachi-sensei didn’t seem to have any qualms about picking up the brush, despite claiming that he didn’t paint anymore. He even looked like he enjoyed himself, though that might just be the infectious energy surrounding the festival preparation grounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi learned, while they worked, that Adachi-sensei normally came in only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days when he did have classes. That said, all the adjunct faculty had permission to use the school’s facilities whenever they wanted to, which was why he could stay in the studio, at least until the teacher on duty came to lock up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He learned that Adachi-sensei ate two tuna-and-mayonnaise rice balls for lunch everyday, without fail, for the reason that they were filling yet did not take a long time to finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He learned that Adachi-sensei was quick to take on the hardest portions of the work, or the most mundane tasks that no one else wanted to do. He also learned that Adachi-sensei was very good at telling when people were reluctant to do something, and responded before even the person themselves voiced out their excuses. That was probably why he had ended up mixing paints on the first day, rather than leaving his mark on the signage, which everyone wanted to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi learned so many things about Adachi-sensei that only made him more endearing. He could not, however, allow the other teacher not to have his own spot on the signage. Thus, when a student asked him if he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>he didn’t want to try painting, he leapt at the chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I’m really not good with a brush…” Yuuichi trailed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Furukawa-san, a second-year student of his, waved his protest off. “That’s okay, we can teach you! We’re not painting students for nothing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi hesitated. This was not going according to plan. Perhaps it was time to retreat and regroup. “It’s okay, trust me, I’m really bad. Nobody short of a painting god could help me now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Adachi-sensei, then? He’s actually a great painting teacher. The best, if you ask me, but don’t tell Kokonoe-sensei I said that. In any case, I’m sure he can teach you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Furukawa-san!!! What a brilliant idea! Yuuichi had been panicking, unsure how to steer the conversation back in the direction he’d intended, but Furukawa-san did the heavy lifting for him. Still, he had to keep up appearances. “I wouldn’t want to trouble him… Hey, don’t-!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei~~ Kurosawa-sensei wants you to teach him how to paint!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did not say that! Adachi-sensei, please, you don’t have to, I’ll just paint a cloud or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it seemed that Adachi-sensei was not having it. “Why, I’m always happy to teach a new student. Or are you doubting that I have the patience for a student who isn’t as naturally gifted?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would never.” Yuuichi had seemingly lost the battle, but he could not be happier inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re in good hands, Kurosawa-sensei.” Furukawa-san gave him a thumbs-up, and left them to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right then, you’ll want to grab that brush there, dip it in this white paint, and make an outline first...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi picked up the brush, but hesitated. “You know, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was terrible. What if I mess up and destroy the students’ work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm… I could draw the outline for you, and then all you have to do is fill it in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or you could show me how to do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’re up to something, aren’t you, Kurosawa-sensei?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi burst out laughing. “Alright, alright, you caught me. I just thought that we’ve both worked equally hard for this, so it would be unfair if only I got to paint something here. Adachi-sensei should also leave his mark on this sign.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei looked unimpressed. “You’re sneaky, you know that? Fine, I’ll draw one cloud here, and you can just copy it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When the signage was finally complete and brought out to the entrance of the school, Yuuichi and Adachi-sensei stood among the students, admiring the fruits of their hard work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Now you’ve seen me paint, I don’t owe you anything anymore,” to which Yuuichi retorted, “You can’t fool me, you clearly specialize in canvas work. Besides, you only painted that one cloud! It’s not counted!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww, I guess I couldn’t trick you.” Adachi-sensei smirked cheekily, looking not at all disappointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh gods</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Yuuichi felt his heartbeat speed up.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lotuses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After the summer festival, it was summer break for the students. Yuuichi missed having summer break—teachers had to go to work as usual, making lesson plans for the next semester and, if they were extra hardworking, start making the exam questions for the year-end exams (even if they were over going to be held half a year later).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The good thing about summer break, however, was that there were no students around, which meant that it was easier for teachers to take leave without feeling the guilt of not being in school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi was on leave today. He took leave to attend an art exhibition that was held in a private gallery about an hour-and-a-half’s ride out from the city center. His sister had gotten an invitation courtesy of work connections, and as usual passed it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The artist holding the exhibition was Rokkaku Yuuta. When Yuuichi first received the ticket from his sister, he stared at the name, wondering why it sounded so familiar. It even came up in his search history when he typed it into his search engine. Then, he remembered that this was the artist that Adachi-sensei had said he admired. Yuuichi had not been particularly keen on going before, but now he decided at that moment that he was definitely going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reading the artist’s profile, Yuuichi got the feeling that Rokkaku was an eccentric one, and his works were not usually of the genre that Yuuichi actively checked out. For one, he specialized in performance art, so he produced site-specific works that incorporated elements from his background in hip hop dance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This particular exhibition, however, was a painting exhibition. That was unusual. Maybe he was looking to change genres?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was also Yuuichi’s junior in university, at least, according to his profile. Yuuichi had never met him, since if his calculations were correct (and they should be, he had a reputation to upkeep!), he would have been a fourth-year student when Rokkaku first entered as a freshman. Even if they had been in the same year, he doubted he would have had much interaction with the art faculty students, seeing as their building was all the way at the other end of campus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ahh, a 1.5-hour train ride was really long. He should have brought his work laptop along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi stared outside the window as thoughts ran through his mind. If Adachi-sensei looked up to Rokkaku, then perhaps he would also attend this exhibition. They might be able to share their thoughts about it the next time they met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Kurosawa-sensei?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi looked away from the window, having stared at the passing scenery for… maybe five minutes, maybe fifty… and found Adachi-sensei standing before him. Think of the devil?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei! What a coincidence! Have a seat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Adachi-sensei replied as he took the adjacent seat, and asked, “where are you headed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the very last stop. Yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same. You wouldn’t happen to be going…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... to Rokkaku Yuuta’s first painting exhibition?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both burst out laughing. “What are the odds!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like that, Yuuichi found himself occupied for the duration of the train ride, as they discussed Rokkaku’s art, and how they came to get the invitation. Adachi-sensei apparently knew the artist, and had gotten a personal invitation—the art circle was small, it would seem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you, Kurosawa-sensei?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My older sister got the invitation for me. She has work connections.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you have an older sister? That sounds nice, I’m an only child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi’s face must have twisted into a funny expression, because the next minute, Adachi-sensei was laughing while looking at his face. “Sorry,” he said in between laughs, “it’s just, that’s such a younger sibling look! I always hear from the students about how great Kurosawa-sensei is, how handsome and perfect Kurosawa-sensei is, that I never imagined you’d be, well, normal!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I’m not perfect, you saw how terribly I painted. I screwed up drawing an outline of a cloud, okay.” Yuuichi was not pouting. He did not pout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, you’re pouting, how adorable!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi was definitely not pouting now. Even so, he admired how unreservedly honest Adachi-sensei was with his comments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they arrived at the exhibition gallery, however, Adachi-sensei seemed to become an entirely different person. If Yuuichi was honest, the other was a little too quiet for his liking. In fact, the art history teacher didn’t speak much on the way back to the train station, or on the train. Perhaps he was the kind to silently appreciate the works and then ponder them all the way home, Yuuichi thought, and decided as such to give him space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t going to come to this exhibition, actually,” Adachi-sensei suddenly confessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi suddenly had a feeling, a sixth sense that told him he should tread carefully. “Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rokkaku… put on this exhibition to prove a point to me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wanted to prove that art didn’t have to be sophisticated, nor did it have to be created with perfect techniques.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. You too, huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Yuuichi spoke, even though he did not feel like he had the authority, “as far as I’m concerned, as long as I enjoy what I see, it’s art to me. It doesn’t matter if there’s some great, universal message if it doesn’t speak to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s mouth was pressed into a thin line. “That’s not how it works in the industry, though… Everyone expects some deep message, some grand concept underpinning a work that you create with techniques honed through years of training. I got fed up, so I left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was news to Yuuichi, but before he could compose a reply, Adachi-sensei laughed darkly. “Heh. What a pretty way to put it, as though I made a conscious choice when the truth is, I just couldn’t withstand the pressure and lost confidence as well as inspiration. Sure, I can teach technique to the students, but I’m not fit to teach them about what art is. That’s why I switched to teaching art history three years ago, and not painting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi was speechless. He had suspected that Adachi-sensei was troubled, in some way or another, leading to his declaration that he no longer painted. Faced with the real story, however, he did not know what he could say. So, instead, he decided to ask, “So, did Rokkaku’s point get across?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei looked at him for the first time since they left the gallery. “It did… His works… they contain a kind of energy and passion that was infectious and made me think, ‘I want to see more of this person’s works.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But,” he continued, “you can tell that he wasn’t just painting them to prove a point. He was clearly having fun exploring this new way of expression, and ultimately doing what he enjoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, every year I feel the same way when looking at the works my students produce, but even as I feel proud of their growth, every time I sit in front of the easel myself I can’t take the brush to the canvas. A voice inside tells me, they can do whatever they want in school, of course, but when they grow up, if they ever enter the industry, they’ll discover how cruel the world can be. How can someone like this in the right conscience continue teaching?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But today, seeing Rokkaku step out of his comfort zone, risking his whole career and his whole reputation just to prove to me that it is alright just to… make art…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei paused. Looked down, then back at Yuuichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei, if I started painting again, the way I want to… Will you still support me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without missing a beat, Yuuichi replied, “Absolutely. You should paint only what you want to, and I have no doubt I will love whatever you make.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I will paint.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sunflowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Since their visit to Rokkaku’s exhibition, Yuuichi would often catch glimpses of Adachi-sensei on campus. It piqued Yuuichi’s interest, as he had not once spotted the other teacher in school over the past few weeks, not since summer break began. Thus, he casually asked what Adachi-sensei was doing back in school when one day, they inevitably bumped into each other in the cafeteria.</p><p>“I’m working on my paintings now. I have completed two since Rokkaku’s exhibition,” Adachi-sensei explained, unaware of Yuuichi’s shock at his declaration. Rokkaku’s exhibition had only been a week and a half ago. “… but I need a few more before I can justify holding even a private exhibition.”</p><p>Yuuichi nodded. “You paint really quickly.”</p><p>“Oh,” Adachi-sensei blushed. Yuuichi prayed to the gods for restraint, that he would not suddenly hug the other man. “I suppose I do, when I know what I want to paint.”</p><p>“How long do you think you’ll take before you have enough for an exhibition? I want to block off a day on my schedule, maybe even put in a request for leave.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei laughed. “Not that quickly, I’m afraid. Even if I had enough works, I still have to book a gallery, send out invitations… That’s assuming I have the inspiration, though…” he paused, and his expression softened. “I don’t think I will have much problem with that.”</p><p>It was then that Yuuichi realized: Rokkaku’s exhibition must have left a greater impact on Adachi-sensei than he had made it out to be. Yuuichi had already known that Adachi-sensei was inspired to paint again after that, but now that he thought about it, that was Adachi-sensei’s idol, the person he looked up to, and that same idol had dedicated a whole exhibition to him. Not to mention Yuuichi recognized that fond smile on the painter’s face—that was an expression of love.</p><p><em> Adachi-sensei is in love with Rokkaku, and seeing how the latter had dedicated a whole exhibition to him, it’s probably reciprocated </em>.</p><p>Yuuichi felt a stabbing pain in his heart.</p><p>Of course, why wouldn’t Rokkaku love Adachi-sensei? Why wouldn’t anyone? He was a talented artist, at least from the one work and the one cloud Yuuichi had had the privilege of seeing, and the various testimonies by his own students; he was a dedicated teacher who, despite his own struggles with art, was determined not to let that get in the way of guiding students to finding their own voices through art; he was selfless, and beautiful, and Yuuichi loved spending time with him, loved seeing him smile, loved hearing him laugh.</p><p>Yuuichi had never pegged himself as the type to silently pine, but it seemed that that was his fate now.</p><p>If that was the case, Yuuichi decided that he would count his blessings in each and every minute he got to spend with the other teacher, even if it pained him that he would never be able to confess his feelings.</p><p>He counted himself lucky that they began having lunch together almost everyday since that day, and that Adachi-sensei even agreed to go out for drinks on some days, when they happened to leave school at the same time.</p><p>All in all, it was a good summer break.</p><hr/><p>... At least, it was until his sister ambushed him at the school gates. In the rain.</p><p>“Yuuichi,” she called out to him right as he walked out the school gates.</p><p>“Aneki? What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you never to come to my schools again? I have a phone, you know?”</p><p>“Never mind that, no one’s at school anyway.” She invaded his space almost immediately, as she always did. She even went as far as to close her umbrella as soon as she went under his. </p><p>Yuuichi tried pushing her away, “Stop it, this is my workplace okay? I don’t need to become the subject of the next office gossip if anyone sees me with the likes of you.”</p><p>Tachibana Akane (real name: Kurosawa Akane), for all the great and famous actress she was, ignored his words and straight up clung onto his arm, even snuggling against his shoulder. “What, am I an embarrassment to you? I’ll have you know over half of the men in Japan wish they were in your position now.”</p><p>“Yeah, so snuggle up to them. In fact, don’t you already have a designated snuggler? Where’s your boyfriend?”</p><p>“Shh!! Not so loud! You’ll never know where the paparazzi are lurking.”</p><p>“Says the woman clinging onto me in broad daylight!”</p><p>“No paparazzi will risk their cameras in this rain.”</p><p>“You’re contradicting yourself!”</p><p>Akane pouted. Yuuichi was being difficult, as usual, but that was also what made him adorable.</p><p>“Fine,” she said, letting go. Then, she dropped the real bomb on him, “Let me stay over.”</p><p>“What!? No, go home!”</p><p>“Can’t. Fighting. Don’t want to see his face.”</p><p>“He’ll be worried about you, you know?”  </p><p>“Let him. Now, are you going to let me stay over, or do you want me to burn the next exhibition invitation I get?”</p><p>Yuuichi sighed out loud. “Fine, just for tonight, alright?” He relented. He wasn’t doing it for the invitations, but if she was willing to threaten him it must be quite serious. Better that she stayed with him than wind up drunk in some alleyway with a twisted ankle, or worse, on the front page of the newspaper the next day. He just needed to text his sister’s boyfriend when she was not looking to let him know where she was.</p><p>Yuuichi had work as usual the next day, so he had no time to personally drag his sister to her boyfriend. He left the house after waking his sister up and making her breakfast, but not before instructing her to leave the house key in the mailbox and make up with her boyfriend by the end of the day.</p><p>His sister, as it turned out, was not the only source of his worries that day. When lunch came around, he didn’t see Adachi-sensei at their usual lunch table (they had a usual lunch table now).</p><p><em> Are you in school today? </em> He texted, before settling for having lunch alone.</p><p>There was still no reply by the end of lunch, so he texted again. <em> Are you alright? </em></p><p>Perhaps Adachi-sensei was busy, or just wasn’t checking his phone.</p><p><em> Perhaps he was out with Rokkaku </em>, a treacherous part of Yuuichi thought, but he stomped that thought out. It was no business of his what Adachi-sensei chose to do with his time, or whom he chose to hang out with.</p><p>He was, however, concerned. Adachi-sensei rarely ignored texts, especially for a whole afternoon. By the end of the workday, Yuuichi was really concerned. With no other means of contacting the man, he decided he would at least check out the only place he knew where he might be able to find him: the studio.</p><p>In all honesty, Yuuichi hadn’t expected to find the painter there. More importantly, he hadn’t expected to find him slumped against the wall in a position that suggested he had slipped and fallen, and just didn’t get up from there.</p><p>Yuuichi quickly rushed through the door toward the prone body. “Adachi-sensei? Adachi-sensei! Are you okay? Can you hear me?”</p><p>“Nggg,” came a throaty groan. Yuuichi pressed a hand to his own forehead and another to Adachi-sensei’s. He was burning up.</p><p>“Oh no, we need to get you to a clinic.”</p><p>“No… no… need…”</p><p>“What do you mean ‘no need’? You can barely sit up. And you’re running a fever.”</p><p>“Just… lea’me… alo...ne”</p><p>“I shan’t. If I can’t take you to a clinic, I’ll take you home. Can you tell me your address?”</p><p>“K’to… aza… five…”</p><p>Yuuichi sighed in frustration. “Okay, I’m taking you to my home. Where are your things?” He looked around for a bag, ignoring the grunts of protest and barely noticing the dark grays and blues on the adjacent canvas. A subconscious part of him may have noted it as a painting Adachi-sensei was probably working on, but that thought would have to be filed away for another day.</p><p>Finding a bag, and a phone next to it, Yuuichi grabbed both, threw the latter into the former, and then turned back to Adachi-sensei and lifted him from the floor.</p><p>“How are you so light? Aren’t you my height?”</p><p>“No… sh’r...ter.”</p><p>Yuuichi rolled his eyes as he walked toward the elevator. He didn’t normally use the elevator, but he sure was glad it existed now.</p><p>Somehow or other, they managed to hail a taxi which took them back to Yuuichi’s apartment. Just as Yuuichi had arrived at his door and was about to lower Adachi-sensei to the floor to grab his keys, his front door opened.</p><p>“You’re still here?” was his first reaction at seeing his sister’s face, but his focus quickly shifted back to the task at hand. To her credit, Akane held the door open and made way for him to carry Adachi-sensei to his bedroom and lay him down.</p><p>“What’s wrong with him?”</p><p>“He’s got a fever, and is barely conscious. Go get some water, I’ll see if I have some fever medicine.”</p><p>Akane nodded, and left the room in search of water. Yuuichi arranged Adachi-sensei so he was under the covers, before heading into his living room and grabbing the first-aid kit. Luckily, he had some fever medicine, and it was still valid. The two siblings returned to the bedroom and got Adachi-sensei to down the medicine, and then tucked him in to sleep.</p><p>After replacing the medicine box, Yuuichi found his sister standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the dining table. Her face bore an amused expression. “So, who’s that cutie sleeping in your bed?”</p><p>“A teacher at my school.”</p><p>“That’s it? You just carry anyone and everyone into your house and let them into your bed, then?”</p><p>“Don’t word it like that. He’s sick, I’m just taking care of a friend.”</p><p>Akane raised an eyebrow. She clearly did not believe him.</p><p>Yuuichi cleared his throat. “In any case, he’s probably going to have to stay here for the night, so you have to go.”</p><p>“What, so you can have your wicked way with him?”</p><p>“Aneki!”</p><p>“Fine, fine. I’ll go.”</p><p>“Go <em> home </em>!”</p><p>“Yes, yes, I’m going home. Masayuki texted and said he wanted to apologize. I guess I’ll listen to what he has to say.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>With that, Akane retrieved her purse and left. Yuuichi breathed a sigh of relief. Now that his house was sister-free, he could concentrate on taking care of his sick <strike>crush</strike> colleague. Who was now sleeping in his bed.</p><p>Yuuichi shook his head to clear out any impure thoughts. “I guess I’ll make porridge, in case he wakes up wanting dinner,” he muttered to himself, before getting on to doing just that.</p><p>In the end, Adachi-sensei slept through the night, if a little too fitfully. By morning, his fever broke and he finally opened his eyes. Yuuichi, who sat beside the bed, resting his head on top of the covers, was jostled awake as his patient sat up.</p><p>“Oh, Adachi-sensei, you’re finally up. Are you feeling better?”</p><p>“Kurosawa-sensei? What are you doing here? Where am I? What happened?”</p><p>Yuuichi stood up and held his hand against Adachi-sensei’s forehead. “Good, it feels a bit more normal now. I found you collapsed in the art studio running a fever, so I brought you home and fed you some medicine. I think it worked.”</p><p>“... Thanks. You didn’t have to.” Adachi-sensei scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.</p><p>Yuuichi smiled. “I wanted to. Now, are you hungry? I made porridge.”</p><p>“Is that what’s smelling so good?”</p><p>“I take that as a yes. Come on.”</p><p>Over the course of breakfast, Yuuichi found himself both rejoicing and regretting making Adachi-sensei food. While he was basking in all the excited praises of “This is so good!” he was getting from Adachi-sensei, he also could barely withstand hearing the other appreciative moans as the painter wolfed down the porridge.</p><p>“This is so good, why do you teach math? You should teach cooking!”</p><p>“I could teach you.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei waved his free hand in front of his own face. “Cooking isn’t my strong suit. I specialize in eating.”</p><p>“Then,” Yuuichi sucked on the end of his spoon, as though his hand was trying to keep him from saying something he regretted. In the end, he could not resist teasing a little, “shall I cook for you everyday?”</p><p>Adachi-sensei all but froze, a blush rising on his face, his spoon pausing on its way to his mouth. Before he could formulate a reply, Yuuichi decided to put him out of his misery. “I’m joking,” he said, even though deep down, cooking for Adachi-sensei every day was all he wanted to do.</p><p>“Ehehe,” Adachi-sensei laughed nervously. Then, after a few more spoonfuls of porridge, he surprised Yuuichi by saying, “I wouldn’t mind eating your cooking every day.”</p><p><em> Do NOT take this the wrong way, Yuuichi </em> , he told himself sternly. <em> This is an objective appreciation of your cooking skills, not a sign that he wants to date you. Do NOT get ahead of yourself. </em></p><p>“Well I’m flattered. No one’s ever said that to me before.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei looked up. “Not even your girlfriend?”</p><p>Yuuichi frowned. “What girlfriend?”</p><p>“The… I vaguely remember a lady opening the door last night… Oh no… If she was here... I’m sorry, I must have interrupted your plans!”</p><p>“Last night… Hold on, that was my sister.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei’s jaw dropped a little. “But, what about Tachibana Akane? I saw you two… leaving school together…” Was it Yuuichi’s imagination, or did Adachi-sensei look disappointed. Was he a fan of his sister’s?</p><p>“Um, would you believe me if I said that she is my sister?”</p><p>Adachi-sensei’s jaw dropped even more. “How… but… Tachibana… Aren’t you… Wait, Tachibana isn’t her real surname?”</p><p>“It’s a stage name, of course.”</p><p>“Huh.” Adachi-sensei huffed in disbelief, but he looked to Yuuichi like he was slightly relieved. It couldn’t be…</p><p>“I wouldn’t suggest falling in love with her, you know?”</p><p>“Who? Me? Oh, no, I’m not a fan. I mean, I like her acting, but I’m not particularly crazy over her,” Adachi-sensei brushed his comment off nonchalantly. Okay, not a fan, then. Perhaps he was merely surprised at the name revelation.</p><p>Yuuichi conveniently ignored the fact that Adachi-sensei’s reaction would have been too much for mere surprise, lest he got the wrong idea. He really didn’t need to get his hopes that he might have a chance just because the painter wasn’t in love with Akane. After all, Adachi-sensei had Rokkaku.</p><p>“Anyway, I must have imposed on you too long. Thank you so much for… well, everything.”</p><p>“It’s my pleasure. You can stay a while longer and rest a bit more. It’s Saturday anyway, so I don’t have work, and before you say it, it’s not a bother at all.”</p><p>Adachi-sensei thanked him again, and insisted on doing the dishes. “I’m feeling much better now, thanks to you, and I will feel too guilty about making you clean up after all you’ve done for me last night. In fact, you should probably get some rest. I promise I won’t steal or break anything.”</p><p>“Hmm… Can I trust you?” Yuuichi narrowed his eyes, pretending to assess the credibility of the man before him.</p><p>“Alright, how about this? If I break anything, I’ll buy you the exact same one <em> and </em> I’ll paint something for you in apology. As for stealing… well, we work at the same school, anyway.”</p><p>Yuuichi laughed. “Hahaha alright then. In that case, feel free to break all my plates. I look forward to getting lots and lots of free wall decorations.”</p><p>“I might as well just paint your walls for you, then.”</p><p>“That works too.”</p><p>“You’re delusional. Clearly sleep-deprived. Go sleep.” Adachi-sensei placed his hands on Yuuichi’s shoulders and steered him into his bedroom. Then, in almost a role-reversal from the previous night, he sat Yuuichi down on the bed, helped tuck the math teacher in, and left the room, closing the door behind himself.</p><p>Yuuichi’s smile remained on his face until he was deep asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Cosmos Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ever since that incident, Yuuichi found himself hanging out even more with Adachi-sensei. Where they had barely seen each other on campus before (at least, before the summer holidays), they continued their regular lunch “dates” even when school re-opened in fall. Adachi-sensei was also coming to school almost everyday, instead of only on days when he had lessons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They also went out for dinner some days, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with other colleagues. It seemed like most teachers, who had been in the school for over a year now, knew Adachi-sensei. Yuuichi wondered how they’d all met, considering he himself had only met Adachi-sensei by a random stroke of luck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless, their more frequent hangouts and increased closeness made Yuuichi realize something about Adachi-sensei: the painter was a really tactile person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first time he noticed this was when he handed Adachi-sensei a can of coffee he’d bought for him on the way to the studio. Adachi-sensei had received it with thanks, but all Yuuichi could think about was how he could feel the other teacher’s fingers touching his own. That time, he had brushed it off as Adachi-sensei being very careful so as not to drop the can, but this continued to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that time, he would notice how Adachi-sensei sat very close, practically pressed up against himself from shoulder to knee when they sat next to each other at an after-work drinking party. This, of course, could be attributed to just how cramped the space was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless of the reason, Yuuichi found himself enjoying having the other man in his space. He himself often longed to reach out and touch Adachi-sensei, too, such as to smooth out the bed head he had on the days he didn’t teach. Add that to the long list of things he already wanted to do with Adachi-sensei, but in a capacity as someone more than friends. Feed him egg rolls, wrap him in his coat or scarf on a cold day, hold his hand as they walked anywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Yuuichi recognized that Adachi-sensei’s tactileness was not reserved for himself. He touched everyone’s hands when passing or receiving things, and pressed up against whomever he sat next to. He was also not opposed to being the recipient of tactile affection, such as from Urabe-sensei who would slap him on his back, or sling his arm around his shoulders, drunk or otherwise. Yuuichi disliked the twinge of jealousy that zinged through his heart whenever that happened, even though he knew, logically, that this was just Urabe-sensei’s way of interacting with his friends. The man was married with a kid coming, for goodness’s sake, and Yuuichi himself had been on the receiving end of such treatment more than once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the same time, he felt envy like he had never felt before. Envy that Urabe-sensei could so easily express his affections. Yuuichi was by no means averse to touch, but he was hardly the kind to initiate it. He felt irrationally as though touching someone, especially someone as dear to him as Adachi-sensei, would somehow give away his feelings to the other person. As much as Yuuichi wanted to be affectionate with Adachi-sensei, he could not burden the other with his feelings, especially not when it was not reciprocated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not ready to let go of their friendship.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“I’m craving </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Adachi-sensei announced one day, out of the blue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi tilted his head in question. “Didn’t we just have </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> with the other teachers last week?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes, but I mean Kansai-style </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei, you like Kansai-style too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you too, Kurosawa-sensei?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi nodded. “I can make it for you, if you’d like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Really? How about tonight? I have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> machine at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Yuuichi could barely contain his excitement. He was going to visit Adachi-sensei’s home!! Sure, he hadn’t expected it, but he thought it was probably for the best. Had they made plans before, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to concentrate on classes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei led the way to the usual train station, but where they would usually say goodbye and head for their respective platforms, Yuuichi followed him to the platform of a line he rarely took. They chatted through their train ride and trip to the supermarket, Yuuichi learning that Adachi-sensei’s mother was from Kansai, even if the man himself had grown up in Kanto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’re here!” At long last, they arrived at the bottom of an apartment block, in the middle of a residential area. Yuuichi wondered, not for the first time, what Adachi-sensei’s apartment looked like on the inside. Would it be neat like Yuuichi’s own place, or would it be the organized chaos often associated with creatives?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The answer turned out to be neither. Adachi-sensei had entered first, so Yuuichi was still taking off his shoes when he heard the other’s voice come from beyond the hallway, exclaiming, “Ah, Rokkaku, you…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rokkaku? What was he doing here?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But when Yuuichi entered the living room, he could see no other person in the space. All he could see was a huge mess of cans, empty packets of snacks, and paper scattered over every surface imaginable. So much paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What on earth happened here?” Yuuichi could not help but blurt out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s hand went up to his head. He looked as though he wanted to pull out a whole clump of his hair right there and then, but somehow it only looked sexy to Yuuichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That Rokkaku… The next time I see him, I’m making him return my key!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rokkaku? As in the artist, Rokkaku Yuuta?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>What a dumb question, Yuuichi, do you know of another Rokkaku?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I let him use my studio sometimes… My studio!” The painter shouted in panic, and dashed off into another room to check on its state. Yuuichi debated following him, but he wasn’t sure he would be welcome there. Regardless, Adachi-sensei re-emerged in no time, looking relieved. “The studio’s clean. Looks like my living room is the only victim. I’m sorry you had to see this, Kurosawa-sensei. I promise my house is normally cleaner than this. In fact, I’m going to clean it up right away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi smiled. “I believe you. I’m going to start on the mix first, then. Is your kitchen through there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei nodded, but went over to guide him to the small kitchen anyway. He then exited, presumably to clean up the living room, leaving Yuuichi alone with his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rokkaku had a key to Adachi-sensei’s apartment. Rokkaku had permission to come and go freely. Or maybe… Rokkaku was actually living with Adachi-sensei…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi shook his head. Adachi-sensei hadn’t ever mentioned a roommate, and he didn’t hesitate one bit about holding a spontaneous </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> party. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stop jumping to conclusions, Yuuichi. As if it mattered whether they’re living together when they’re already in love…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Thus, Yuuichi busied his hands with making the </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> mix. When he finally left the kitchen, mix ready, he came back to a considerably cleaner living room. Adachi-sensei had also already set out the </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> machine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei! I just realized I forgot to serve you tea! What a terrible host I am!” Adachi-sensei made for the kitchen, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, we’ve got beer anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll go get the beer then. You put it in the fridge, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi nodded and let go. Adachi-sensei quickly left, and came back in no time with two cans of beer in his hands. “Here you go,” he handed one to Yuuichi, who took it, careful not to touch Adachi-sensei’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei eyebrows dipped ever so slightly, but he smiled again so quickly that Yuuichi wondered if he had imagined it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the machine had heated up sufficiently, Yuuichi began putting the mix in while Adachi-sensei looked on. The way he was staring at Yuuichi’s hands was as though he had never seen someone make </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> before. Or perhaps…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei, would you like to try making it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The painter nodded enthusiastically. “But maybe the next batch. I want to observe your technique first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi laughed. “Alright then. This part is easy, really. It’s the flipping that takes skill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know! My mom never lets me do it because I always screw up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can teach you, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thus, when the time came to flip the balls over, Yuuichi demonstrated for a few balls, then handed the pick over to Adachi-sensei. “Now you try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei poked hesitantly at one of the unflipped balls. “I don’t dare…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine. I trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t trust me!” Adachi-sensei protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright then,” Yuuichi laughed. “May I?” He let his hand hover over Adachi-sensei’s hand that was holding the pick, offering to take over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Adachi-sensei begged, but instead of handing over the pick, he slotted his hand inside Yuuichi’s. Not one to waste such an opportunity (even if he knew he would feel guilty about it later), Yuuichi wrapped his fingers around the other’s and began showing him how to flip the </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> ball.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few demonstrations, he let go, not willing to press his luck or risk exposing his own affections. Adachi-sensei was a tactile person, but he was like that with everyone. It would not do to overstep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei, for his part, seemed to have picked up how to flip </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> balls perfectly after spending thirty years on earth living in Japan. The glee on his face was infectious, and Yuuichi found his disappointment at no longer being able to touch his hand melting away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They talked and drank while waiting for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> to finish cooking. At one point, Yuuichi noticed the bookshelf behind Adachi-sensei; more specifically, he noticed the row of comics’ spines that he was very familiar with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that Ragna Crimson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s turned around to look at his bookshelf. “Kurosawa-sensei knows of it too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have the whole series.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A man of culture, I see.” Adachi-sensei smiled knowingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right back at you. I really like how Ragna’s personality…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... is slightly twisted, but in a good way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know! Hehhh Adachi-sensei reads manga too. I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, a student recommended this one to me a few years ago. Or rather, I caught them sketching fanart of her in their sketchbook, and the character design seemed fascinating, so I checked it out in my own time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always thought artists were snobby elitists who wanted nothing to do with pop culture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, well I think there are a lot of different artists out there, and inspiration is all around us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, is that no one can judge others for how and what they choose to express, and if one person’s art brings another joy, then that’s enough reason for that person to continue making art.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was... very deep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, haha. I’ve been having a lot of thoughts lately, as I work toward that exhibition. I think I have enough works for it now, so expect a handwritten invitation soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Yuuichi was a little lost for words. He had been avoiding this topic for a while now, unwilling to torture himself by asking about an exhibition that was inspired by Adachi-sensei’s idol and love. At the same time, he had promised to support the painter, no matter what he painted. Yuuichi finally settled on a neutral, “I look forward to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, perhaps in an attempt to steer the conversation away, Yuuichi gave a </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> an experimental poke. It popped right out of the socket, as though announcing that it was ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think the </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> is done. Give me your bowl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei handed his bowl to Yuuichi, who popped a few </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> balls into it before returning it. As usual, Adachi-sensei let his fingers brush over Yuuichi’s as he accepted the bowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Itadakimasu.” Adachi-sensei picked up one </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and was about to put it in his mouth when the sound of a lock clicking came from the front door. Then, a voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Senpai? You home?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chrysanthemums</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yuuichi was currently questioning his life choices. What was he doing here, sharing </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> with his crush and his crush’s crush?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice from the doorway had, of course, been none other than Rokkaku Yuuta, who introduced himself upon realizing that Adachi-sensei had a guest. Yuuichi had stood to return the greeting, all the while observing the brown-haired man in a baggy shirt and cargo pants who had just interrupted their dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>True to his art, Rokkaku was a ball of energy and enthusiasm, flitting around the apartment in a way that showed off just how familiar he was with the space. When he had inevitably noticed the ongoing </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span> party, he whined, “Senpai, how could you not invite me?” and then (shamelessly) invited himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei had made no protests of his own, only asking Yuuichi if it was alright. Yuuichi could only nod, a response that caused Rokkaku to grin before darting into the studio to put down his bag, before dashing back out to join them at the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi noted how Adachi-sensei was gentle with Rokkaku even more than he was with his students. He had berated the younger artist for making a mess of his living room, but forgave him easily. He even silently went to the kitchen to fetch an extra bowl and pair of chopsticks for Rokkaku, leaving Yuuichi behind to fend off the million questions that Rokkaku pelted at him in his excitement at meeting his senpai’s colleague.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rokkaku, let Kurosawa-sensei eat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry Kurosawa-san! Let’s eat. Itadakimasu!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi was thankful for the momentary reprieve as they carefully bit into their </span>
  <em>
    <span>takoyaki</span>
  </em>
  <span>. During the fiasco that was Rokkaku’s sudden arrival, however, the food had cooled off a little, making them just the right temperature to eat whole without fear of burning their tongues.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is so good!!” Both Rokkaku and Adachi-sensei exclaimed, Rokkaku out of surprise, and Adachi-sensei out of appreciation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-san is a really good cook, isn’t he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He really is,” Adachi-sensei agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, senpai, you’ve got something on your mouth.” Rokkaku reached out with his hand and wiped it against the side of Adachi-sensei’s mouth…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi held his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>… Rokkaku wiped his finger on a tissue. Yuuichi’s heart was safe for another day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei brought his own hand up to where Rokkaku had just wiped the food remnant off. “Rokkaku, behave. Kurosawa-sensei is here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, oops. Sorry, Kurosawa-sensei.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Huh. So this was normal behavior for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Yuuichi wasn’t so sure he would survive that night anymore.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>In the end, both Yuuichi and Rokkaku stayed over. Rokkaku had apparently come over to work on a deadline, and proceeded to lock himself in the studio after dinner. Yuuichi and Adachi-sensei cleaned up, with Adachi-sensei joking that they were working overtime. “We spend the whole day in school looking after kids, and with Rokkaku, it’s like that all over again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi didn’t mind. Better that Rokkaku was like one of their students than a love rival, after all. Now that he was out of their hair, he could spend a little more time alone with Adachi-sensei.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he did not expect was that after cleaning up, they sat at the table for a few more hours, just drinking and talking. If he were being honest, Yuuichi himself was reluctant to leave Adachi-sensei alone with Rokkaku, and by the time he had told himself enough was enough, he had already missed his last train.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can always stay over. I have a spare futon. Rokkaku usually uses it, but I don’t think he’ll be sleeping at all tonight. If he does, he can just sleep on the floor tonight as punishment for messing up the living room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi could not help but laugh at that. “I didn’t expect you to have a sadistic side, Adachi-sensei.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The painter huffed. “He’s lucky I’m not taking his key back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucky. Rokkaku was lucky, yes. Yuuichi, too, wished he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased, to touch Adachi-sensei for any reason and no reason at all, and to be so important that he was a source of inspiration for Adachi-sensei’s art.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Yuuichi knew he had to be content with his lot in life. As long as he could stay by Adachi-sensei’s side, basking in his presence, he was satisfied.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The second trimester of school, while not the final, was actually no less hectic than the final. Where the first trimester was generally relaxed and fun, ending in the summer festival, the second and third trimesters were marked by constant assignments and exam preparations. Finals were, of course, in the third trimester, but students and teachers were both equally swarmed by internal assessments and submissions during the second trimester.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To add fuel to fire, Yuuichi was being slightly distracted by a rising suspicion that he was being avoided by Adachi-sensei, of all people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, it was not that they were seeing each other less. Well, they were, but that was because the painter himself had, in mid-November, warned Yuuichi that he would be busy with preparing for the actual exhibition. “I won’t be coming to school as often now, but we can still go out for dinner once in a while,” he had said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And they did. It was less frequent than their recent routine, but Yuuichi could tell that Adachi-sensei was making as much of an effort as Yuuichi himself to make time so that they could meet up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, it was that during those meetups they did manage to have, Adachi-sensei was being uncharacteristically fidgety, and even avoided touching him. No more casual brushing of arms as they walked next to each other, or accepting chopsticks with fingers wrapped around his hand. If anything, Adachi-sensei had started keeping his distance, walking behind Yuuichi, and always sitting in the “birthday seat” at the end of the table during drinking parties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi could not help but wonder what the cause of the change was. Did he start getting body odor that he didn’t realize he had? Yuuichi had given himself a sniff more than once, just to double check, but nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried not to be too upset, since if he was being honest, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he had no time to be upset!!!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Students! Marking!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps it was time to let things go. Clearly Adachi-sensei was not especially comfortable around him, and he was kind enough to let Yuuichi down gently by citing his growing busyness with exhibition preparations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, they would just stop meeting all together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi knew he was sacrificing a lot of time on his own part to make these dinners happen. That had brought him to this current point, carrying his marking home because he had fallen behind on grading them, and the teacher on closing-up duty could not afford to stay any later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a teacher, he had a duty to his students. He wasn’t some teenager who could afford to let his own feelings get in the way of his own work. If they had to stop meeting, then the least Yuuichi could do was make things quick and painless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, just the person that he didn’t want to see. Yuuichi wasn’t ready to end things so quickly. His heart was not ready. He was hoping to at least have one last dinner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Yuuichi turned around anyway, to face Adachi-sensei.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adachi-sensei, </span>
  <em>
    <span>otsukaresama desu</span>
  </em>
  <span>*.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Otsukaresama desu</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Going home now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi gave a weak smile. “Yeah, bringing home some marking to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yikes.” Adachi-sensei winced. Then, raising a bag of his own, the art history teacher confessed, “Me too, actually. If you’d like, we could... keep each other company?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, it’ll be fun. Or if you prefer silence, you can use my studio, then we can take periodic breaks, have some beer, and-...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei’s mouth snapped shut. It was not like Yuuichi to interrupt, and he knew it himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Adachi-sensei. I can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you apologizing so solemnly? It’s alright, I understa-…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you don’t. I can’t anymore. I know you’ve been forcing yourself to pretend you’re still okay hanging out with me, but I know you’re not, and I...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… like you. Have for a while now. I can’t continue pretending that I don’t see how you flinch every time I walk a little closer, can’t pretend that I’m not hurt by it, and more importantly, I can’t deal with my own jealousy when I think that you wouldn’t react like that with Rokkaku.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s gotten to the point that it’s affecting my work, which is why… let’s just stop this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some part of Yuuichi knew it was unfair of him to drop such a big bomb on Adachi-sensei and then one-sidedly cut off ties, but even as he was the one to propose ending things, he wasn’t sure what he would have done if Adachi-sensei just confirmed his suspicions and agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, like a coward, he ran.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*<i>otsukaresama desu</i>: This is just a greeting that people say to one another in the middle or at the end of the work day. It's often translated as "good work" but I don't like that translation so I'm leaving it as Japanese here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Camellias</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A few weeks had passed since Yuuichi had blurted out his confession to Adachi-sensei, and then one-sidedly broke off their friendship. Adachi-sensei had looked shocked, but Yuuichi had had no time or presence of mind to turn back and check on his expression. It was all he could do to turn and walk away, head straight to the nearest convenience store to grab the limited edition chestnut-flavored ice cream, and go home to distract himself with said ice cream and his pile of marking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi’s life at Toyokawa reverted back to its relative monotony before summer. It almost gave him whiplash, how strange and comparatively unexciting it was. In his six years of teaching before coming to Toyokawa, he had never thought his teaching career was boring. He loved teaching his students, after all, and found meaning in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as days went by without seeing Adachi-sensei, who had brought so much joy into his life, he found himself missing the other’s small quips and quiet confidence. Even though he was the one who had ended it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi was also reminded just how much effort they had both put in to see each other. Truly, had they not made it a point to have lunch or dinner together, they could have gone whole years without ever running into each other on campus. Adachi-sensei, for his part, seemed also to be respecting his request, and was not seeking him out. All the better for Yuuichi’s sanity. He had asked for distance because he could not stand seeing the painter be close with others anymore, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some of his students had noticed, it seemed. He would hear whispers, even if they never pried. Whether or not he could call them “whispers,” though, was another thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For example, one day just as he was leaving his second-year class, Furukawa-san groaned out loud about how she had a two-thousand-word essay due soon for Adachi-sensei’s art history class, and had yet to start on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few other students chimed in with “Me neither!” or “I’m done!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one comment that did catch Yuuichi’s attention was when someone said that they had sent an email to Adachi-sensei, and he had replied at 3am in the morning. Yuuichi frowned, worried about the painter’s sleep schedule.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really hoped that Adachi-sensei wasn’t hurt by his own selfish request. Oh, who was he kidding, he probably was. The guilt Yuuichi felt was by no means little, but it did not outweigh his desire to protect his own heart from further damage.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It was after the winter holidays that Yuuichi came back to work to find a mysterious envelope on his desk, with his name, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kurosawa Yuuichi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, inscribed in calligraphic writing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced around, but no one seemed to have noticed, or made to speak to him, so he opened it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an invitation… to Tousei Ryuunosuke’s exhibition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait. What?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi reread the words carefully, afraid that he may have misinterpreted some of the calligraphy. He even asked Urabe-sensei to help him read it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, some artist named Kiryuu Ryuunosuke’s making a comeback, and he’s invited you to his exhibition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s read ‘Tousei,’” Yuuichi corrected Urabe-sensei offhandedly, still unable to believe his eyes and ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it? What an unusual reading.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s a pseudonym.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hehhhh… So, are you going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he going? There was no way he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> going?! This was the most excitement he’s felt since…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since the last time he met up with Adachi-sensei.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop thinking about it, Yuuichi. Focus on the present. You have a handwritten invitation to THE Tousei Ryuunosuke’s comeback exhibition.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hold on, why </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> he have it? Did his sister send it? Why would she send it to his school, or even at all if she could pass it to him over New Year’s?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He resorted to asking his sister over a line message.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few moments later, his phone lit up with a call screen. His sister was calling. Yuuichi quickly excused himself from the staffroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yuuichi! Thank goodness you picked up! I have exciting news for you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aneki, it’s past 9am. I’m at work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can’t wait. Your favorite Tousei is holding an exhibition! I just found out this morning, and I knew you’d want to go, so I’ve been going to my connections and guess what, I got you tickets!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you found out this morning? But… I already have an invitation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? How!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found it on my desk at work just now. I thought it was from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Strange… but anyway I’ve gotta go, can’t be away from my desk for too long. Bye!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha- Yuuichi!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi hung up and returned to the staffroom, only to find Manabe-sensei, the Head of Art, standing over his desk staring at the invitation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Manabe-sensei, good morning. How can I help you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Kurosawa-sensei. I was just going to tell you that Tousei’s manager dropped by the other day, looking for you by name. You’d already gone home, so she passed me an envelope and told me to pass it to you. I left it on your desk, and was just about to tell you, but I see you’ve already seen it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you for it. I’m very excited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Tousei’s an alumnus of ours, and we are very happy to see he’s found his artistic voice again. I’m sure you must be a very special guest for Fujisaki to drop by with an invitation in person. Do not screw it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi understood the language that was coming out of Manabe-sensei’s mouth, but not what she was saying. He didn’t even know Tousei in person. Come to think of it, that was the point he should be dwelling on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The invitation itself offered no answers, only a time, date, and a venue. 6pm, on 14 March, in that same gallery Rokkaku had held his exhibition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rokkaku. Yuuichi clenched his teeth, willing his thoughts to stop sidetracking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>March. There was almost a whole semester to get through. Perhaps by then, he would be fine going to the gallery.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They say that time passed ever so slowly when one was excited for something. Yuuichi would like to refute that, as he almost forgot he even had an exhibition to go for until the start of March, when it popped up into view on his calendar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>School had been busy with exam preparations, more marking, and more exam preparations. Yuuichi was kept so busy physically and mentally that he had no time to think about anything else. But now that Tousei’s exhibition was marked on the calendar he looked at daily, he was starting to feel the excitement again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What kind of works would Tousei produce after three, almost four years of hiatus? Would it be in the same style as before, or something completely different?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was the meaning of the title of his exhibition, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Metamorphosis</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Change? What changed?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>These thoughts kept Yuuichi up the whole night before the exhibition. He almost called up the number on Tousei’s website to ask if he could change his visiting date to an earlier day, but upon a closer look he had realized that the exhibition officially opened on the fifteenth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What had he done to deserve such special treatment?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was one possible, if utterly unlikely explanation, but Yuuichi did not even want to entertain that thought. It was best not to do so. He would find out in a few hour’s time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a few minute’s time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other side of the door.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Welcome, you must be Kurosawa-sama,” a woman greeted Yuuichi at the door. He recognized her as Fujisaki Nozomi, Tousei’s manager who always turned up in his place, be it for awards ceremonies or press conferences. Some said that she was the real artist behind Tousei’s works, others speculated she may be his wife, or sister, or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Regardless, Yuuichi was pretty sure he had never met her in his life, which meant that he still had no clue as to why he had been invited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yes. Kurosawa Yuuichi, that’s me.” It was all Yuuichi could do to keep from stammering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This way, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She doesn’t even want to see my invitation?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He hastily slid his invitation back into his bag and followed her through the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They entered the main exhibition space where no fewer than twenty paintings hung. They were of different sizes, and Yuuichi could see they employed a variety of media: some were watercolor, others acrylic, and some oil paintings. The one thing in common they had was that they were all still-life; Tousei had specialized in still-lifes before his hiatus, painting, most famously, the paulownia tree on the school compound. In fact, Yuuichi owned that painting, courtesy of his (very rich) sister who had bought it from an auction for him as a reward for his having graduated from university.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Among these works, Yuuichi could pick out some </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sama?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi’s head whipped around to find Fujisaki gesturing toward another door. Was he not going to be able to see these paintings before they moved on?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will have time to view this room later. Please come with me to the private exhibition space.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Private exhibition?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi gave one last longing glance at the intriguing pieces in the room, but proceeded through the door as Fujisaki had asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The “private exhibition space” was less official-looking. In fact, it looked more like the staff working space, with canvases lining the floor, propped up against the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi turned to Fujisaki with a confused look, but she merely smiled a mysterious smile and left him with a “Please take your time,” before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Left alone with the paintings, Yuuichi could only count his blessings that he was being allowed to see what he assumed were some of the works that Tousei had, for some reason or other, chosen not to exhibit this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first work he saw was a rainy scene. A man and a woman huddled under an umbrella. It was dark, not only in the color choices, but also in the artist’s expression. It was almost as though the painter had poured his resentment into the scene, manifesting it as raindrops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was a kind of resentment that Yuuichi was familiar with: jealousy. The pain of watching one’s beloved walk off with another. He was reminded of how he had felt watching Rokkaku interact with </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking off the feeling, he moved onto the next painting. This next work almost gave him whiplash with just how positive it was. It was nothing more than a depiction of a couple of paint buckets, with brushes littered around, yet the carefreeness of it all brought Yuuichi back to simpler times. He desperately ached for the time when they were just having fun mixing paints, teasing each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The third work was chaos incarnate. The interior of an apartment, with rubbish scattered everywhere. Yet Yuuichi could feel that the focus was not on the mess, but an external, off-screen source of joy and warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He continued to admire the rest of the paintings. An empty classroom, a quiet corner of a restaurant, and a painting of clouds, of all things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he stopped in front of the second-last work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A work that looked very familiar. The exact same angle, the exact same furnishings, the exact same person in bed: him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a painted version of the sketch that Adachi-sensei had given him as a gift for having taken care of the painter while he was sick. The sketch that he may or may not have taken out to admire every day after they cut off contact, reminiscing about their good times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi looked around at the other paintings. In the background of the paint bucket painting stood a figure, wearing a light blue apron. In the messy apartment, a shelf of comics. In the rain, a woman whose silhouette looked very much like his sister’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes landed on the final painting in the room. It depicted a large paulownia tree, the same one in the backyard of their school, and underneath it, Yuuichi recognized himself, dressed in his usual three-piece suit, leaning against Adachi-sensei. This wasn’t a painting of a moment they had shared before, but an imagined future. One that the painter had thought unattainable, for he had poured all his longing and regret into this one work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei… </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What have I done?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The door reopened before he could fully form his own reaction, and from its direction came a voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fujisaki-... san?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Plum Blossoms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei was standing before him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei, who had painted no fewer than five works all revolving around Yuuichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei, whose eyes were widening by the second, as reality caught up to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adachi-sensei, whom Yuuichi had most likely hurt in his selfishness. Oh no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry!” Yuuichi blurted out, then realized belatedly that the painter had shouted, “This isn’t what it looks like!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that was exactly what it looked like. The paintings told him everything he needed to know, and Yuuichi hesitated no more in crossing the room and wrapping his arms around Adachi-sensei.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, hugging the other man tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei… I’m the one who’s sorry… I should’ve told you instead of pushing you away and hurting you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi frowned. What was Adachi-sensei saying? Yuuichi was the one who jumped to conclusions about Rokkaku, pushed Adachi-sensei away, and hurt him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei, I need to tell you something,” Adachi-sensei said, trying to extract himself from Yuuichi’s embrace. Could it be… Yuuichi had misunderstood? Did Adachi-sensei no longer like him? Was this a prank?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a prank. I still like you very much…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why was he trying to leave Yuuichi again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going anywhere, I just need to tell you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s nothing he could say that would get Yuuichi to let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kurosawa-sensei! I’m psychic!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Yuuichi said out loud, dropping his hands in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can hear your thoughts if we’re touching. That’s why I’ve been... distant. I… didn’t want to intrude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of shock, Yuuichi started laughing. “You mean you’ve known this whole time? About my feelings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Adachi-sensei fidgeted. “I only got these… powers, I guess, on the day of my birthday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His birthday. Yuuichi remembered it. It was in October, and some of the teachers had organized a birthday drinking party for him. Yuuichi had joined in, having been invited by Adachi-sensei himself. Come to think of it, it wasn’t long after that party that Yuuichi had noticed the increasing distance between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha,” Yuuichi chuckled bitterly. “I must have looked like such an idiot, stewing in my own feelings and jumping to conclusions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was flattered and honored that you thought so highly of me. So much so that I felt guilty for accidentally reading your thoughts. At the same time, I couldn’t bear to stay away. I was also afraid of disappointing you, so I never told you that I knew… but I never imagined you would think I was in love with Rokkaku!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions… but in my defence, I’m not the mind-reader!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both laughed, and Yuuichi gently took Adachi-sensei’s hand in his.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t care that you can hear my thoughts. I want you to hear all my thoughts. I’m tired of hiding my feelings for you. I wish I could hear your thoughts. Maybe we wouldn’t have had all these misunderstandings.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s learn to use our words, then. I don’t know why I have this ability, nor do I know how long it will last, but I don’t want it to get in the way of us, and I don’t want it to define us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you want to define us, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like this.” With that, Adachi-sensei pulled Yuuichi in and tilted his head up expectantly. Yuuichi barely had time to smile fondly before dipping to kiss Adachi-sensei, just as he had wanted to for months and months.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“So, how was the exhibition?” Akane asked immediately after Yuuichi picked up the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aneki… you couldn’t have called me at a more normal hour?” Yuuichi yawned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Normal? Yuuichi, it’s eleven! Why are you still in bed!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuuichi tried to sit up, but found himself unable to. He was being held in place by the surprisingly strong grip of a painter. “Late night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Is it that cute teacher from before? I bet it is. Did you meet at the gallery last night? I bet you did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and we’re together now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, together? Together-together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Yuuichi paused as he felt the lump beside him move and heard him groan. “By the way, turns out he’s Tousei.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!?”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>For the longest time, Yuuichi’s home had one Tousei painting adorning its walls. It depicted a lone paulownia tree, blooming as a promise of better things to come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, it was joined by another: a painting of the very same paulownia tree, but beneath which two figures sat. One was in a suit, and the other in a hoodie. They were leaning against each other, the latter’s head resting on the former’s shoulder as they dozed. Paulownia flowers danced in the air around them, carried by the gentle May breeze.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Random tidbits, I guess?</p><ol>
<li>The original paulownia tree painting that Kurosawa owns is actually the work that Tousei (Adachi) had won an international art award for, which is why he got famous in the first place. Kurosawa’s sister later bought it during a charity auction, and gifted it to him to celebrate his graduation from university.</li>
<li>What happened 3 years ago? Tousei, having become very famous, started to be the target of a lot of elitist critics who demanded that art be sophisticated. Adachi only liked painting things that he wanted to paint, so he was struggling a lot with coming up with “sophisticated” subjects, and even though his awards testified to how well-received his works are, he kept stewing over those critics’ words, and eventually stopped painting altogether. After Rokkaku’s exhibition, and Kurosawa’s words (though Kurosawa hadn’t known it) that he would support Tousei whatever he chose, he found the courage to start painting again.</li>
<li>Why the secrecy? Adachi was still not very confident in his ability to pull off a whole exhibition, so he didn’t want to tell Kurosawa, who was a big fan, for fear of disappointing him. Then, when Kurosawa broke off their friendship, he resigned to just painting out all his feelings, but that’s when…</li>
<li>Fujisawa, the ultimate wing-person, comes to the rescue! Fujisawa doesn’t have much screen time, but she’s actually Tousei’s manager and best friend. (Sorry Tsuge, I couldn’t fit you in…) Adachi had actually told her all about Kurosawa, including when they stopped talking. Adachi was going to keep his promise of sending a handwritten invitation, and only to the normal exhibition but Fujisawa secretly set up a special viewing session, lined up all the Kurosawa-related paintings that he wasn’t actually going to exhibit, and then called Adachi over saying she had “urgent business to discuss” just to let Adachi and Kurosawa meet.</li>
<li>Tousei Ryuunosuke: a not-so-blatant Kamen Rider reference. I may have taken a lot of liberties, but it’s written 桐生龍之介. The first two characters are normally read “Kiryuu,” as in Kiryuu Sento, but if you take them apart, the onyomi for 桐 is tou and the same for 生 is sei. It’s not a legit reading in Japanese, but I figured he might have just made up a reading since it’s a pseudonym. Ryuunosuke is just me taking the first character from “Ryuuga” and changing it to the first name that starts with “Ryuu” that came to mind (or, if I’m being honest, it’s a reference to Ryuunosuke, my favorite character in Shinkenger). In the story, though, I imagine that Adachi chose the 桐 (kiri) for the paulownia tree in his alma mater, under which he often spent time sketching.</li>
</ol><p>
  <span class="u">General notes:</span>
</p><p>I must apologize to my giftee for deviating from the given prompt. Rather than “cute art teacher,” Adachi’s become a “jaded art teacher with baggage.” He’s also very different from his timid self in the drama, because I had taken his candidness for expressing his feelings and made it his main character trait. I personally really like how he doesn’t deny his feelings, or try to hide them out of embarrassment. It’s a really refreshing character trait in a drama character. His general confidence, I’d like to attribute to the fact that he’s a teacher and an artist. Even if he’s no longer confident in his ability to paint things for the industry, he is still confident in his technical abilities, and the knowledge he has as a professional artist.</p><p>That’s all to say, thank you for reading all the way to the end, and I hope that despite all the liberties I have taken with the prompt, it was somewhat enjoyable to read.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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